Can You See Me?
by lauren3210
Summary: Klaus is getting ready to leave town, until the threat of Evil Alaric is over, while Damon is busy finding a way to stop his former best friend. Which side will Rebekah choose? Oneshot, rated M for sexual content.


**AN: So, I know I normally only write DE stories, but I've been kind of struggling with their relationship on the show recently, so I thought I would try my hand at something different! I know not many people like the dynamic of Damon and Rebekah, but I think they have really good chemistry, and think they could be good for each other, at least for a while.**

**This story is dedicated to my friend Vic, because she loves this couple so much. I hope you like it sweetie! xx  
**

* * *

Wisps of smoke threaded through the large open space of the dining room, glowing blue as they weaved their way through the streaks of afternoon sunlight that glanced across the room. Rebekah poked violently at the bunch of rags in the fireplace, shoving the poker into the flames again and again, trying to quell some of her rage. She honestly didn't know which part she was angry about the most: That this had been her favourite outfit; that she'd missed out on yet another damn school dance, or that she'd trusted her mother again, only to be stabbed in the back. Again. Although, technically, it had been from the front this time. At least people kept finding different ways of daggering her. _Variety is important,_ Rebekah thought sourly, as she continued to poke at the fire. After showering for an eternity to get feeling of being used off her skin, the next thing she had wanted to do was burn the clothing she had been wearing when Esther... began wearing _her._ The thought of it made her shudder all over again, and she threw down the poker in disgust. She drew herself up to her full height and brushed her hands off against her dark denim jeans, wondering if she would ever get rid of the queasiness that had rested inside her gut ever since being possessed by her own mother.

"Rebekah?"

Klaus's voice floated through the open doorway, and she turned towards the sound, zeroing in on where it originated. He was in the coffin room, and she could hear him murmuring to someone. Probably one of his hybrids. Rebekah curled her lip at the thought, but moved to join him, her high heeled boots clicking against the polished wooden floor.

"You yelled, brother?" She asked in a bored tone, leaning against the doorway and staring at the blond-haired woman standing next to Klaus.

"Make sure this one is properly chained up," Klaus said to his hybrid. "We don't want her escaping again now, do we?" He smirked down at Esther before slamming the lid down, and Rebekah flinched at the memory of the first time they had encased their mother in a coffin. The blond hybrid nodded at Klaus, then pushed the coffin past Rebekah and down the hallway.

"Where are you putting... her?" Rebekah stuttered slightly, still not sure how she was supposed to feel about the woman she had missed for the entirety of her un-dead life.

"Carly's putting her in the van, ready for the off." Klaus clapped his hands together and swaggered over to his sister, the sunlight bouncing off his dark blond curls, combining with his smirk to make him look like a cherub. All he needed was a bow and arrow, and he'd be the spitting image of cupid.

"Off? You're leaving?" Rebekah frowned. Klaus hadn't wanted to leave until he could get his hands on his doppelganger bitch, but that wasn't possible while Stefan was busy keeping her hidden.

"We need to go, love," Klaus said, bending down slightly to make eye contact with his sister. "It's not safe for us here right now." He put his arm out and placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"But what about Elena?" Rebekah moved further into the room, following her brother as he moved away from her. "Aren't you afraid that something will happen to her if we're not here?"

"Why, Rebekah, are you starting to like my doppelganger?" Klaus smirked over his shoulder at her as he started removing things from the mantle above the fireplace.

Rebekah snorted. "Like that would ever happen," she said loftily. She didn't know why, but she felt something close to depression at the thought of leaving this town. "I just don't want to run anymore, Nick."

"It's just for a little while, love," Klaus replied, not looking at her. "We'll let the mighty Salvatores deal with the history teaching vampire, and then we'll be back to claim what's ours." Rebekah stayed silent, and Klaus turned to fully face her, clasping her upper arms with his hands. "Once this is all sorted, we can be a family again, alright?"

Rebekah looked up into her brother's face, his blue eyes matching her own. He may have killed their mother, and he may have kept her shut in a box for ninety years, but when all was said and done, they were all each other had.

"Alright," she said, smiling slightly. "When do we leave?"

Klaus stroked her hair as he grinned back at her. "Tonight. As soon as my hybrids have finished packing up all our stuff, we'll hit the road."

"I'll go make sure I have what I need to take with us, then."

Rebekah walked out of the now empty coffin room and up the stairs to her bedroom. There wasn't much she wanted to take with her, except the clothes she had bought since waking up in Chicago. Although there were a lot of those. She started gathering them all up, but as she saw the bag she used for school, she realised there was one thing she would really like to take with her; her cheerleading uniform. There wasn't anything normal about her life, not by anyone's standards, but if she had that uniform, she could look at it from time to time and remember how she had felt, just for a moment, like a normal high school girl. She rooted around in her drawers for the little skimpy red top and skirt, but then remembered where she had put it last.

"Where are you going?" Klaus called to her as he caught her walking to the front door.

"To the school. There's something I left there that i want to take with us."

"Well, don't be too long, we're leaving soon."

"I won't."

The door of the house she had fleetingly called home slammed shut behind her.

* * *

The slowly darkening hallways seemed to echo the sounds of the students that had been there a few hours previously. Damon walked slowly along the bank of lockers, his ears pricked for any sounds. He didn't want to be here, didn't want to be doing what he was doing, but he had no choice. He laughed silently to himself. Of course there was a choice. There was _always_ a choice. He just always chose the wrong one. It would be so nice if just for once, he could fall in love with someone who didn't already love his baby brother.

A small noise, the sound of a door swishing closed a few hallways down, whispered to him, and he froze momentarily, before pulling himself into a recessed doorway. He hated this, he was a predator, he wasn't prey. Hiding in the shadows was what weak people did. His body rebelled against staying put; his knees bent pulling him up onto the balls of his feet, his fangs sliding into place with a soft _snick_, his eyes turning red as the veins popped out beneath. His instincts were telling him to _fight_, and he had to exert a considerable effort to remain in the alcove, listening for the sound of footsteps.

He stood there for what felt like hours, waging a silent battle against his instincts, his long slender fingers clutching a useless stake. He needed to find a way to gain the upper hand, a way to defeat his enemy. A pain flashed through his chest as he saw the face of his new enemy in his mind's eye.

_I'm so sorry, Ric._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door close to him squeaking open, and he tracked the footsteps, listening as they made their way along the row of lockers. He steadied himself, ready to attack the moment his hiding place was found, but the footsteps stopped before they reached him. Instead, the sound of a lock being opened came to him, a few feet down from where he stood, his muscles taut and straining to be released. Ric was fucking with him, he decided, anger bubbling up inside him. Anger was always close to the surface for Damon, and he had a lot to be angry about recently. He was angry at what Ric had become, angry over what he had to do to fix it, angry over the part that he had played in it, and yeah okay, he was angry that Stefan didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done, leaving Damon with the job of killing his best friend while his baby brother and Elena went and got all cozy hiding out at the lake house. He was so mother-fucking _angry!_

His rage was all his body needed to give in to hi instinct to fight, and before he could even think of a plan of attack, he threw himself out of the recess and slammed Ric into the lockers hard enough to dent the metal. Within seconds however, he was thrown off, bits of plaster littering his hair as he was smashed backwards into the opposite wall. He slid down to the floor, but before he could pull himself up again, a black leather boot with high heels was placed firmly against his chest.

"Oh, look, if it isn't my torture playmate."

Damon's hand scrabbled round in the plaster dust on the floor next to him, searching for the stake he had dropped, as his eyes raked up the slim leg encased in dark denim, to the cream close fitted top and black leather jacket, the blond hair falling softly over her shoulders.

"You're not Ric," he choked out, as he forcefully pushed the foot from his chest and stood up.

Rebekah let out a sharp laugh. "Well, I knew you and the history teacher were close, but I would have thought even _you_ couldn't mistake him for another one of your conquests."

"Aww, come on, you still mad about that?" Damon glanced up and down the hallway, listening out for sounds of anyone coming. "I thought we had a nice time."

"Well, I _certainly_ had a great time. Especially the last time we were alone together," Rebekah smirked at him. "Although, you didn't seem to enjoy it all that much. How're your wrists, by the way?" She looked up at him with fake concern etched on her features.

"Healed up nicely, thanks for asking," Damon matched her smirk with one of his own. "What are you doing here?"

Rebekah looked back at her now damaged locker. "I left something here that I needed."

"So you thought you'd come stalking through the school at night, instead of waiting until tomorrow?" Damon stretched surreptitiously, grimacing slightly as he felt a couple of his vertebrae pop back into place.

Rebekah rolled her eyes at him. "And that's so much worse than you skulking in a dark corner waiting to jump on people, is it?"

"I thought you liked it when I jumped you?"

Damon waggled his eyebrows at her, and she felt her face grow warm despite herself. She had no idea why he affected her like this; it wasn't like he was the first pretty boy she had ever encountered. Hell, he wasn't even the first _Salvatore_.

"Answer the question, Damon. What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms and concentrated on keeping the look of disdain on her face.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Aww. Is someone missing their best friend?" Rebekah pouted at him, feeling a confusing mix of vicious pleasure and something like sympathy as she saw an expression of pain flit across his pale features.

"Please. I don't have friends." Damon smoothed his face into a look of contempt as he stared at her. "I just need to find him so I can put him out of his misery."

"Well, here I am!"

Rebekah and Damon both turned towards the voice coming from down the hallway. Alaric stood in a shaft of pale moonlight, showing off his new vampire features proudly.

"But putting people out of their misery?" Alaric continued, walking slowly towards them both. "That's my job now, Damon." He stopped, just a few feet from them, cocking his head to the side. "And you _are _miserable, aren't you? Losing your friend, losing the girl you love to your brother..." He trailed off, a cold smile gracing his lips as he stared at Damon.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Ricky, but I am happy as a clam," Damon said as he slowly shifted his body, preparing for the inevitable fight to come.

"Well, while you two have this nice little chat, I think I'll take my leave." Rebekah took a single step backwards. "Have fun, boys."

She moved to blur down the hallway, but before she could go more than a few steps, someone brushed past her, making her stumble down on one knee. She turned and saw Ric on top of Damon, fists blurring as he punched the dark haired vampire's head into the lockers over and over again. They were lying in the exact place she had stood just seconds before; Alaric had been coming for her.

She crouched there, momentarily stunned, watching as the two vampires struggled with each other. Then Damon let out a cry of pain, and she stared, horrified, as she saw Ric start to push his thumbs into Damon's eyes.

She didn't know why she did it. They were both so engrossed with each other that she could have just run away and left them to it. But there was something about the sound that Damon made that cut through her, refusing to let her leave.

She pulled herself to her feet and launched herself at Ric's back, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling backwards as hard as she could. For a moment, everything stilled. She saw with perfect clarity the blood oozing from Damon's beautiful pale blue eyes, felt the weight of the man in her arms as they stumbled backwards together, saw the flash of silver in Alaric's right hand.

Then time righted itself, and Ric turned himself in her embrace, dislocating her shoulders with the force of it. She saw the flash of silver as it arced below her chin, felt the sting of something connecting with her throat, felt warmth flood down over her chest even before the pain bubbled up in her body.

She fell backwards to the floor, the image of Damon's arms slipping around Ric's neck imprinted on her eyelids, his feral snarl echoing in her head, before everything turned black.

* * *

The first thing she thought as she woke up was _Well, this sofa is uncomfortable._ Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to turn her head, to see where she was, but pain lanced up her neck and she winced, moaning quietly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't try to move your head for a while."

Hands rested on her upper arms lightly, helping her to sit up while keeping her neck straight.

"That cut was pretty deep."

Rebekah opened her eyes and found herself staring into Damon's, now fully healed again, although a bit red around the rims from their assault.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around, careful not to move her head. She fingered her neck cautiously. The skin was still tender and raw, but the wound had at least fully closed.

"Carol Lockwood's." Damon leaned over and picked a blood bag up from the low table in front of them, taking a sip before passing it to her. "I figured it was the one place in town we've both been invited into that Ric hasn't, yet."

As Rebekah sucked gratefully at the blood bag, she realised that she was indeed sitting on the sofa in the Lockwood study. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Damon reached out again, picking up a tumbler of amber liquid and tossing it back into his mouth in one gulp.

"Any more where that came from?"

He grinned slightly at her and got up from the sofa, walking over to the liquor cabinet and pouring her a drink. She sat up further and frowned as something damp and sticky touched her chest. Looking down carefully, she groaned aloud as she saw her cream top, now coloured brown from her own drying blood. There were even streaks of it in her hair.

"Great. Another outfit ruined," she moaned, mainly to herself.

"You could go have a shower. I'm sure Caroline has left a few items of clothes here in her time." Damon handed her a glass and sank down onto the sofa next to her, smirking as though he already knew what her answer would be.

"Thanks, but I'd rather walk around naked than wear anything belonging to her." She said it anyway.

"You wouldn't hear me complaining about that."

She decided to change the subject. "Where is everyone, anyway?"

Tyler's off somewhere with Caroline," Damon replied, careful to not mention that they were also with Elena. Who knew what Rebekah would relay to her psycho brother. "The Mayor's at a charity function in the next town, I think. We have the whole house to ourselves." He smiled lasciviously at her.

Rebekah felt lust pool in her belly as she took in his smile, and she cursed herself for it. "Then I think I will have that shower," she said, and stood up, carefully testing her neck. It felt fine now. She knocked back the liquid in her glass and handed it back to Damon. "Make yourself useful and pour me a refill while I'm gone." She raised her eyebrow at him and swept out of the room, looking for a place to strip out of her blood soaked clothes.

Damon waited in the study, sipping his drink as he listened out for the sound of the shower to start. When he heard the water in the guest ensuite bathroom start up, he slipped his phone out of his pocket, and dialled Stefan, trying not to think about the fact that she was naked one floor above him.

"Damon. Is everything okay?"

"Fine." He wasn't about to go into the whole debacle at the school, or the fact that he was here with Rebekah. "How's everything there? Has Bonnie found anything?"

"We're all still looking. Elena and I are going through her ancestors' journals, seeing if there's anything that can help us there. Jeremy and Caroline are helping Bonnie go through her grimoires. Nothing yet."

"Well, let me know when you do. I've found out that breaking his neck stops him for a while, so that's a plus."

"You fought with Ric?"

"Yep." Damo stretched out on the sofa, pulling his feet up. "Unfortunately though, he didn't have the stake on him when I killed him." _Again_, he added silently. He heard the sound of the water shutting off. "I gotta go, call me when you find something." He hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket, pulling himself up off the sofa.

* * *

Rebekah clutched the towel around her chest as she eyed her discarded clothes in front of her. Maybe a shower had been a bad idea, because the thought of putting those back on her made her stomach heave. She looked at herself in the mirror, running her fingers through her clean wet hair in lieu of a comb. Maybe she could find something at least halfway decent in the Mayor's things that would get her home, where she could change into her own clothes. She removed the last vestiges of mascara from beneath her eyes with a make-up pad she had found under the sink, and opened the door to the bedroom.

And stopped short at the sight of Damon lounging on the end of the large guest bed.

Damon opened his mouth, ready with a witty retort, but found himself speechless at the sight of her. She looked so vulnerable in that moment, her face devoid of make-up, her wet hair falling over her shoulders in soft waves, her small body swamped in the over-sized bath sheet. She looked... beautiful.

Rebekah swallowed her gasp of lust at the sight of him and took a moment to compose herself. She couldn't let her guard down around him; that much had been proven.

"Invasion of privacy much?" She said loftily, surreptitiously clutching the hem of her towel more tightly.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he replied, smiling slightly. She tried to hide her blush, but knew she'd failed as she saw his smile hitch higher.

"I have to find some clothes, so we can get out of here," she said, slightly flustered.

"Don't rush on my account," Damon said, still smirking. "I'm planning on staying here a while, I'm waiting on a call." Rebekah nodded, still standing awkwardly in the towel, very aware of her nakedness beneath it.

"Why did you bring me here?" She blurted out suddenly, her feet moving forward of their own volition.

"Why?" Damon looked genuinely surprised that she'd asked, as though the answer should be obvious. "I told you, it's the only safe place in this town right now."

"Yes but, why did you bring me with you?" Rebekah found herself standing almost directly in front of him, so close that the fabric of the towel tickled his knees. "You could have just left me there, got yourself out."

"So could you," he countered, still looking unsure as to why they were having this conversation.

Damon looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should go with the truth or just crack a joke about it. Elena was usually the only one he was truthful with, the only one he could trust with the truth of his feelings. But she seemed genuinely curious, and not looking for an opening to scorn him, so he threw caution to the wind.

"About that," he began, his breath hitching as he looked down and saw a flash of golden thigh between the towel folds. She was so close. "I wanted to thank you. You could have just run and left me there, especially after what I did to you."

"Yeah well, I tortured you, so we're even," she replied, her breath catching in her throat as he lifted his eyes to meet hers again.

"I guess we are," he murmured, moving his hands up to stroke her hips lightly.

She tried not to let it affect her, tried not to let her face betray her emotions, but the moment his fingers brushed against her through the towel, she was powerless to stop herself. He eyelids fluttered closed and she moaned softly at the contact, her fingers clutching the hem of the towel tighter still in an attempt to stop herself from reaching out to him.

Damon took it as a sign and let one of his hands trail up from her waist, encountering her arm and sliding his fingers up over her shoulder to her neck. He stroked the pale pink line where Alaric had slashed open her throat with a knife, memories of the shock and pain he had felt as he had watched it happen flooding through his mind. He remembered how her eyes had gone wide with shock, remembered watching her fall to the ground as her blood had spilled down her chest, remembered being certain, for just an instant, that she was dead. Remembered the sharp pain that had knifed through his own chest at the thought.

"Does it still hurt?" He whispered, looking up into her face as she opened her eyes again.

"Not right now," she whispered back, her breathing uneven, her cheeks flushed a beautiful pink.

She waited for him to pull away, to get that cold distant smirk back in place. There was nothing he wanted from her right now, nothing she could give him. And she knew she should feel relieved, knew she should take the out he'll offer her at any moment and be grateful for it, so she could go back to her brother and leave this stupid small town with no regrets. But she didn't want to let go of this feeling, his hands upon her, his voice soft and his gaze softer as his eyes tripped over her. She knew he wasn't able to give her what she really craved, but maybe he could give her just enough. So she waited for the moment when he pulled away, grateful for it and terrified of it in equal measure.

He could back away. He could stop right now, pull back and they could go back to flinging insults at each other and flirting from a safe distance. He probably should back away. He couldn't give her what she wanted, he knew that. He knew that he was one small step away from making her want to start setting up another torture play-date with him. But for some reason, he couldn't make himself stop. For some reason, he didn't _want_ to stop.

The fingers on her throat wandered as they made their way round to tangle in the wet hair at the back of her neck. Looking in her eyes, trying to convey in his own that he wasn't using her this time, he pulled her gently closer, bringing her down closer to him. He stopped, when their lips were mere millimetres apart, waiting for her to understand what he was trying to tell her, waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.

She sighed, a sound expressing her frustration and acquiescence all at once. Lifting one hand from the towel around her chest, she reached out to him finally, threading her fingers through his hair as she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips forcefully against his.

Damon's hand slid down from her neck, over her breast, over the towel as his other hand pulled her closer to him, between his legs. His fingers found the folds of the towel and pushed them aside, encountering taut stomach muscles and silky smooth skin. Rebekah moaned into his mouth as he danced his fingertips over her stomach, making lazy circles as he ventured slowly downward.

Her hand left his hair to run down his neck to his chest, feeling the play of muscles beneath his black button down shirt. She fumbled over the buttons as she tried to undo them, desperate to feel his skin beneath her fingers. She knew it would be easier if she had the use of her other hand, but she didn't want to let go of the towel just yet; she liked the innocent feel of this moment as they explored each other gently. She also knew that she could just rip the shirt open instead, but this wasn't like their first time. This wasn't hate sex; it wasn't angry sex at all. It felt as though this time, they were really taking the time to get to know each other. It wasn't rushed, there wasn't any agenda on either side; she could feel it by his gentle strokes of his fingers on her stomach, feel it in the way his tongue slid along hers slowly but insistently.

Damon moved his mouth away from hers, trailing his lips down her neck, kissing the pale pink line softly, before travelling further down, his lips skimming the knuckles of her hand still clutching the towel. He paused for a moment and looked up into her eyes, darkened with lust. She smiled shyly and slowly let go of the towel, lifting her fingers one by one until there was nothing holding it up. Her smile widened as she heard his sharp intake of breath as the towel pooled around her feet, leaving her bare before him. His fingers, still on her stomach, smoothed up the flat plain to the valley in between her full breasts, his eyes taking in all of her. His hand on her back pressed hard against the dip above her buttocks, pulling her closer to him, and she gave in willingly. Her hands went to his shoulders and gripped hard as he began pressing small kisses to her right breast, her legs parting slightly of their own accord. She lifted one knee over and placed it on the bed next to him, her back arching as she felt his denim clad thigh brush against her bare skin as she straddled one leg.

Damon moaned as he felt her heat through his jeans, and before he could think, he laid himself back on the bed, pulling her down on top of him, his lips finding her nipple and drawing it into his mouth. He felt her squirm on top of him as he ran his teeth lightly around her swollen bud, sucking on it gently. Her other leg found its place against his outer thigh, and he thrust upward suddenly, causing her to cry out.

Rebekah didn't know how much longer she could take this. She could feel his bulge beneath his jeans, felt his hands as they slid up her back and into her hair, feel his lips as they trailed kisses from one breast to the other. She ground her hips against him; she wanted him naked, now, but she also didn't; there was something incredibly erotic about being completely devoid of clothes while he was still mainly dressed. His hands slid back down and cupped her ass, holding her tightly against him as he thrust up into her once, twice more. Urgency overtook her, as she moved her hands down from his neck to his chest, pulling at the buttons feverishly. She felt his legs jerk beneath her slightly and knew that he was kicking off his own socks and shoes. He rolled them suddenly, so she was pinned beneath him, and she used the opportunity to push his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, letting her fingers glide over the muscles in his chest as he threw the clothing away behind them. She sighed softly as she revelled in the feel of his velvet skin, finding the small trail of hair beneath his belly button as she worked her way down to his fly. She popped the buttons, listening as he sucked in his breath as her fingers slid beneath the waistband and curled themselves around his hard length. She smiled as she stroked him, gripping him hard.

Damon held himself still above her, wanting to thrust into her hand but holding himself back, delaying his own pleasure for a moment. He looked down at her, her head bowed as she worked him, her damp hair falling over her face. He reached out to stroke it back behind her ear just as she looked up at him, a slight smirk on her lips. He watched as her eyes widened slightly as she took in his expression, and he felt her movements stop and her hands travel over his stomach and round his back, pulling him down closer to her. As their lips met, he felt her toes on his waist as she pulled his jeans down over his hips with her feet, and he kicked them off, letting them fall to the floor along with his shirt.

She could feel his length pressed against the inside of her thigh, could feel his fingers as they rolled her nipple, sending tingles straight down to her groin. She bucked against him and he laughed into her mouth. He drew away from her slightly, smiling at her sigh of impatience. He looked at her for a moment, before dipping his head to trail kisses down over her breasts, down her stomach, his tongue tracing circles on her over-heated skin as he continued lower and lower. She sighed again as his lips found her inner thigh, placing open mouthed kisses as he worked his way slowly towards his target.

Damon felt her shudder against him as he moved his mouth ever closer to her centre. He kissed the inside of her thigh one last time, before letting his tongue swipe lightly against her folds, feeling her hips move in response. He brought his hands between her thighs and used his thumbs to spread her lips before him. He probed her opening with his tongue, lapping at her gently as he found a rhythm, flicking a finger lightly over her swollen bundle of nerves. He felt her hips move with him, getting faster and faster as her breath began to quicken. He heard her cry out softly as her orgasm overtook her, feeling her legs quiver around him as she came into his mouth. He kissed his way back up her stomach, over her breasts as she slowly cam down, sucking a nipple into his mouth as he waited for her breathing to return to normal.

Rebekah moved her hand to the back of his head, holding him in place as she wriggled her hips, desperate to feel him inside her. She felt the tip of him brush against her wet folds and she rocked her hips again, sucking in a breath as he slipped an inch inside her. Damon wrenched his head away from her breast and looked at her, his eyes glazed over with lust as he stared down into her eyes. They kept eye contact as he slid all the way inside her and stopped, waiting for her to adjust to his size. Her walls clamped around him immediately, and he dipped his head down to kiss her lightly. She tasted her own juices on his tongue as he slid it slowly into her mouth, and she moaned at the feel of him inside her, at the feel of his tongue as it battled lazily with hers. Slowly, he pulled himself out and then pushed back in, and she arched into him. He raised his head slightly to look at her again, and he knew that he could feel it too; this time was different.

They began moving together, slowly at first, but then picking up speed as lust overcame them. Sweat appeared on their bodies, making their skin glisten in the muted light from the lamps, the room filled with the sound of their gasps and moans. Rebekah cried out as she came again, her back arching as he head fell back. Damon ran his tongue along the fading pink line on her neck, sliding his hand up her thigh as he changed angles, thrusting in deeper and harder. She laughed softly and used her superior strength to flip them over, pulling him into a sitting position as she slid herself back down onto him slowly. He sucked in a breath as she rolled her hips against him, her fingers digging into his collarbone. His hand slid down between them, finding her swollen bundle of nerves and pressing down as she moved against him, faster and faster. He grabbed the back of her head as he felt his release approaching and kissed her hard, swallowing her moans as she came once more, groaning against her lips as he followed her.

They stayed there, coupled together like that, foreheads resting against each other as they slowly came down, feeling the sweat cooling on their bodies. Damon shifted slightly beneath her, and Rebekah felt a moment of panic, wondering what was going to happen next. But Damon just slid her round to his side and lay back against the pillows, stroking her hair away from her face. They weren't cuddling exactly but they weren't pulling away from each other either.

"Klaus is leaving town tonight," Rebekah said quietly, letting her fingers wander over his chest. "I should really get back there, I haven't finished packing."

"You're going with him?" He didn't sound disappointed, just curious.

"That's the plan," she replied. She wasn't upset by his reaction; his hand was still stroking her hair slowly, his other hand trailing fingers up and down her arm. "We'll be back though, someday, I expect."

"You mean, once I get rid of this latest threat for him?" Damon let out an incredulous laugh, but he wasn't angry. He wanted to be the one to deal with Ric anyway.

Rebekah opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a ringing sound coming from the floor. Damon eased himself up from the bed and leaned down, pulling his jeans up from where he had kicked them earlier. He grabbed the phone and checked the screen, before looking back at Rebekah.

"It was Stefan. He wants to know where I am, they're on their way back to town."

The look in his eyes told her that he hadn't wanted their time interrupted like this. She smiled back at him, letting him know it was okay.

"I need to find some clothes anyway," she said, pulling the sheet from beneath her and wrapping it around herself as she stood up.

Damon nodded and pushed his legs into his jeans, standing up on the other side of the bed as he pulled them up and buttoned the fly. Rebekah smoothed back her hair as she watched him throw on the rest of his clothes and grab his phone from the bed. He buttoned up his shirt and then looked at her, a slight regretful smile pulling at his lips.

"Do you want me to wait until you're ready?" He asked, slightly awkwardly, and she grinned at him.

"Not necessary. You go on, I'll see if I can find something to wear and then let myself out." She stayed where she was, on the other side of the bed.

He began walking backwards slowly. "Thanks. For helping me tonight, I mean," he clarified when she looked at him.

"I told you, we're even."

He smiled and nodded at that, then turned to go through the doorway. She looked down at the pink sheet she had wrapped herself in and sighed contentedly.

"Rebekah?"

His voice was soft as she looked up at him once more.

"Take care of yourself."

She smiled back at him. "You too, Damon."

She watched him leave.

* * *

Damon looked over at the passenger seat as he slipped behind the wheel of his car. Rebekah's dried blood coated the leather and he winced again at the memory of her laying there next to him as he drove away from the school earlier in the evening. He shook the image from his mind and started the car, wondering if he would make it to the boarding house before Stefan and the others did.

He didn't. As he pulled into the driveway, he saw Bonnie and Jeremy unloading a box of books from the back of her car. He got out of the car and moved to take the box off them, smiling at them both.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Jeremy asked, eyeing Damon warily.

Damon turned towards the house and saw Elena standing by the front door.

"I had a good evening, that's all."

Rebekah had managed to find a pair of pants and a top in one of the wardrobes in the main bedroom that weren't too awful. She was just pulling her hair up into a ponytail when her phone began to ring. She finished tying her hair up and then answered it.

"Rebekah? Where the hell are you?" Klaus's angry voice came down the line.

"Relax, I'll be there soon." Rebekah sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was beginning to really tire of her brother ordering her around.

"If you're not here in ten minutes, my hybrids and I are leaving without you."

The phone went dead as he hung up on her. Rebekah looked down at the phone in her hand, thinking.

* * *

Damon sat in the chair closest to the fire, sipping at his drink, listening to the others argue around him, not interested in joining in for the moment. He watched as Elena worked hard to keep herself separate from Stefan while they were all together, but it was obvious to Damon that they had grown closer again. The pain in his chest flared again, but it was duller somehow, than before. Now it felt like he might actually be able to survive her choosing Stefan.

"If we can just find a way to hold him still for a while, then I'll be able to perform this spell." Bonnie's voice broke out from the crowd, and she held the book out in front of her.

"Damon said breaking his neck works like it does with all the originals," Stefan interjected, and Damon nodded his agreement.

"If I can get that close to him again, it could work."

"But what if it doesn't?" Elena asked, looking at him worriedly. "What if he kills you instead? You're not strong enough Damon, none of us are."

"I am."

Everyone turned to see Rebekah leaning against the display cabinet by the entrance.

"I thought you were leaving town." Damon stood up and made his way over to her, careful not to look at anyone else.

"Plans change," she replied simply, noting the slight frown marring his perfect features. She knew what he was thinking, that she had decided to stay for him. But it had nothing to do with him, not really. She had just realised that it was time she actually started living, and started making her own choices about the kind of life she wanted. "It's not because of you. Not because of Stefan either," she continued with a laugh as she watched his gaze slide over to his brother. "I'm doing it for me."

She stepped past him to face the room at large, feeling his hand as it grazed the small of her back in a gesture of thanks.

"I'll help. Whatever you need."

* * *

**AN: So, there we go! A little bit of smut always helps with character growth, don't you think? ;)**


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